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NS coastline is 7933 kilometers, includes the mainland and Cape Breton. Coastal Islands only have a total coastline of 3,111 Kilometers so, the total coastline of mainland Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and all the little Islands in the ocean that are a part of NS is 11,044 kilometres. At 176 metres in elevation Botany Bay Lake, Pictou County drains west into the Salmon River Shed as well as east into the West River of Pictou Watershed.

Provincially-owned land in Nova Scotia has many demands on it and we must manage this asset sustainably and efficiently. Sustainable land management requires accurate, integrated and easily accessible information that can be used to make better decisions. This allows the Province to use provincially-owned land for public benefit, protect it for future generations and emphasize the values of good stewardship.

Geographic Information Services has published the Nova Scotia Base Mapping Final Report (2015). A high level review of the Province of Nova Scotia’s base mapping program was conducted. Base mapping clients and stakeholders were engaged in the review of the following foundation geographic datasets:

Congratulations to GIS Specialist, John MacKinnon, whose submission to ESRI Canada’s 2015 Maps and Apps Calendar Contest was selected as one of the 12 shortlist entries from over 60 submissions received. His submission was also one of nine finalists. ESRI is a privately held, Canadian-owned company that provides world-class enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions, so this is quite an accomplishment and honour for both John and GIS. John’s map submission is featured in ESRI’s 2015 Calendar, which is sent to over 9,000 GIS professionals across the country.

Scientists know that the mainland of Nova Scotia is moving 1 millimeter per year horizontally and 1.5 millimeters per year vertically (it is subsiding). Much less is known about Sable Island and its behavior. The same GPS technology that allows the mainland’s movements to be modelled has been recently been installed on Sable Island. The data that is generated will allow long term trends in the position to be analyzed so that a better understanding of the behavior of the island can be attained.